2018 Little Easy Bean Network - Join Us In Saving Amazing Heirloom Beans

[Zeedman]

There are two types of plant patents. The PVP patents described by @Bluejay77 are the most common. If you buy patented seed or stock from a retail outlet, what you are getting is 99.99% likely to be PVP. There should be labeling on the seed packet or plant marker that identifies it as PVP. You can save seed for PVP varieties & multiply PVP stock, but strictly for your own use... you can't legally sell or share what you grow with others. No one will be coming after you just for growing & saving these.

The other patent (Utility patent) is often used for genetically modified plants, such as agricultural cultivars of soybeans & corn (and has occasionally been misused to patent a vegetable trait, such as warted pumpkins, or yellow beans). Such seeds/plants can only be grown & possessed by a licensed grower, and to my knowledge, none are offered retail to home growers. You would know you are growing one, because some form of contract is required. These are the plants you could potentially be arrested for having, since even growing them for your own use without a license to do so is illegal.

ARS-GRIN has (had?) a site which listed all patented plants; I tried to call up the link, but the site is not responding. That bookmark is several years old, and the web page may have been updated. If I find the link, I'll update this post.

Update: Got it, list of all patented edible or agricultural plants:
https://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/pvp/pvplist.pl

 

[Michael Lusk]

There are two types of plant patents. The PVP patents described by @Bluejay77 are the most common. If you buy patented seed or stock from a retail outlet, what you are getting is 99.99% likely to be PVP. There should be labeling on the seed packet or plant marker that identifies it as PVP. You can save seed for PVP varieties & multiply PVP stock, but strictly for your own use... you can't legally sell or share what you grow with others. No one will be coming after you just for growing & saving these.

The other patent (Utility patent) is often used for genetically modified plants, such as agricultural cultivars of soybeans & corn (and has occasionally been misused to patent a vegetable trait, such as warted pumpkins, or yellow beans). Such seeds/plants can only be grown & possessed by a licensed grower, and to my knowledge, none are offered retail to home growers. You would know you are growing one, because some form of contract is required. These are the plants you could potentially be arrested for having, since even growing them for your own use without a license to do so is illegal.

ARS-GRIN has (had?) a site which listed all patented plants; I tried to call up the link, but the site is not responding. That bookmark is several years old, and the web page may have been updated. If I find the link, I'll update this post.

Update: Got it, list of all patented edible or agricultural plants:
https://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/pvp/pvplist.pl

I knew you guys would have the information! Thank you

 

[flowerbug]

it is interesting to read through some of those...

 

[Blue-Jay]

Thanks @Zeedman for that list. I was surprised to see "Anasazi" under garden beans on a PVP list. I noticed each bean has a message and link marked Show Information from the NPGS GRIN Database and order if available. I clicked on that link and it showed that the PVP for "Anasazi" had expried. So perhaps not all PVP's are still in force but probably most of them will be. It would probably be hard to find any others that are still not in force. Looks like a lot of modern bean breeding. I hardly recognized any of the variety names I had seen in seed catalogs. All my own snap bean growing for myself is pole heirloom beans. I have a few old commerical bush snap beans that I grow on rare occassion, and a couple of my own original bush snap beans.

 

[flowerbug]

when i see a picture i want to take i need to come back inside and get the camera and do it right then, because if i say to myself i can get the picture another day and then go back to get the picture it's not there...

 

[HmooseK]

@aftermidnight

Just checking on you. Haven't noticed you around.

 

[aftermidnight]

@HmooseK I'm still around, thanks for asking, just haven't had much to contribute. The heat has me knackered .

Annette

 

[HmooseK]

@HmooseK I'm still around, thanks for asking, just haven't had much to contribute. The heat has me knackered .

Annette

Me and you both! It sure has been hot this year.

 

[Michael Lusk]

Last night I found some paper dry pods on the Grandma Rivera pole lima's and figured I'd take a look inside. These plants have been super productive and I'm sure I'll be able to make my seed return and then some.

Having never grown Lima beans before, I realized I had no idea how to prepare them for eating. Anyone have any thoughts on this with the larger variety? In thinking about it, I think I've only ever had baby lima beans from a store. Do you just soak them and cook them like normal dried beans?

I look forward to your advice!

 

[Blue-Jay]

@Michael Lusk, Wow ! Those are just beautiful seed.